Artist presents work to Costa Rican president-elect

Wednesday

Mar 31, 2010 at 2:01 PM

What began as a project decorating her sister’s condominium in Costa Rica turned into an event when Tuscaloosa artist Irene Burns, 53, found herself presenting one of her paintings to Costa Rican President-elect Laura Chinchilla.

By Eryn Phillips, Special to The Tuscaloosa News

What began as a project decorating her sister’s condominium in Costa Rica turned into an event when Tuscaloosa artist Irene Burns, 53, found herself presenting one of her paintings to Costa Rican President-elect Laura Chinchilla. While helping her sister with the decorating project, Burns found that the country held endless opportunities for her to paint, especially the landscapes, her favorite subject. “Whatever landscape I’m around, I can find an idea to paint,” Burns said. “There isn’t a place that doesn’t have some kind of beauty.”Burns said she worked for three weeks painting a large portrait of the mountains and the sky that she couldn’t bring back to Tuscaloosa because she was afraid it would be ruined by the time she got home. She then came up with the idea to attempt to contact Chinchilla and present her with the painting.Laura Chinchilla was elected on February 8, and is the first woman to to win the presidency in the country. She will officially take office on May 8. According to her Website, Chinchilla wants to strengthen ties with the United States regarding the drug war and women’s health while in office. While not anyone can contact the President-elect, Burns said her sister’s art agent first attempted to contact Chinchilla’s staff about arranging a meeting,“Her staff called me back the day after we first tried to contact her and wanted to arrange a meeting at her house,” Burns said. “I was so excited that she wanted to meet with me.”During the meeting which lasted 15 minutes, Chinchilla asked the artist how much she wanted for the painting, but Burns said she wanted the president-elect to have it for free as long as she would use it. “She was a very humble and lovely lady,” Burns said. “She told me that the painting was going to go in her office when she is inaugurated.” Burns has been painting since her childhood and has been working in Tuscaloosa for more than 20 years. She currently works for Matt Clinton Designs, where her work is on display and can be purchased. Burns said she only works with oils now because they do not dry as fast as watercolors or acrylic paint. “I never want a ‘painted yesterday’ look to my art,” she said. “With oil painting, the colors don’t dry as fast so I can always change my mind and make changes to a painting.”Burns said the hardest part about finishing the piece that was presented to Chinchilla was knowing when to stop painting.“I kept asking myself if the sky looked too strong and if anyone was going to believe that a place so pretty actually exists,” Burns said. “But when I presented it to her, she said, ‘This is my Costa Rica.”’The painting was the first that Burns has presented to a public figure and she said she feels honored that the president-elect was so kind and gracious about receiving the painting.